I have been a big fan of sports ever since I was ten. Cricket, Football, Hockey, Athletics, I participated in every Sport I could. I really wanted to continue doing so. I am pretty sure there are millions out there who started out the same way. Some want to be Astronauts, most want to play Sports. But, even though the number of Astronauts in the world is negligible compared to the latter, we are more likely to be encouraged in pursuing it since it 'portrays' ambition.
I fell for it. I don't regret the fact that I couldn't be a sportsman. I probably wouldn't have been a star. But boy, I wish I knew that for sure.
Now, in India, our failure in bringing medals is always blamed on the lack of infrastructure and investment by the Government. It is true that bureaucracy has put India in a virtual coma. The incident with O P Jaisha is a clear indication of that. But what about us? We complain about Sania performing only because of her partner, Martina Hingis, in Grand Slams. We complain about Indian hockey being completely behind their Golden days. We also complain that India will not do well in any sport apart from Cricket. And the cherry on the cake, we would also cringe about our kids playing and watching too much of sports.
The hypocrisy in this country is unbearable. The tenacity to cringe about anything and everything is intolerable. What happened to the kid gave up sports to work hard in studies? He became a clueless kid, barely keeping himself afloat in the sea of mediocrity. He could have become a great sprinter, shooter, footballer or a hockey player. But you pushed him to be an average engineer. He could have won awards at the international stage. But you insisted that swiping you attendance card daily in a meaningless job would be much better for you.
I know this doesn't mean that we don't think about backups at all. We definitely should complete our basic education. We should be intellectually curious. But if you force him to do all of it, he would be nothing but average and invisible. He would lose out in his confidence.
In India, we think about what others think than reflect on ourselves. We need to change that. Forget the nosy neighbour would be 'defame' you in the so-called society. Just imagine how proud you would be if your son or daughter stands on the podium with the Indian national anthem playing in the background.
I fell for it. I don't regret the fact that I couldn't be a sportsman. I probably wouldn't have been a star. But boy, I wish I knew that for sure.
Now, in India, our failure in bringing medals is always blamed on the lack of infrastructure and investment by the Government. It is true that bureaucracy has put India in a virtual coma. The incident with O P Jaisha is a clear indication of that. But what about us? We complain about Sania performing only because of her partner, Martina Hingis, in Grand Slams. We complain about Indian hockey being completely behind their Golden days. We also complain that India will not do well in any sport apart from Cricket. And the cherry on the cake, we would also cringe about our kids playing and watching too much of sports.
The hypocrisy in this country is unbearable. The tenacity to cringe about anything and everything is intolerable. What happened to the kid gave up sports to work hard in studies? He became a clueless kid, barely keeping himself afloat in the sea of mediocrity. He could have become a great sprinter, shooter, footballer or a hockey player. But you pushed him to be an average engineer. He could have won awards at the international stage. But you insisted that swiping you attendance card daily in a meaningless job would be much better for you.
I know this doesn't mean that we don't think about backups at all. We definitely should complete our basic education. We should be intellectually curious. But if you force him to do all of it, he would be nothing but average and invisible. He would lose out in his confidence.
In India, we think about what others think than reflect on ourselves. We need to change that. Forget the nosy neighbour would be 'defame' you in the so-called society. Just imagine how proud you would be if your son or daughter stands on the podium with the Indian national anthem playing in the background.
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